Garden
Beautiful & Useful Fair 2022
I’m enjoying curating pieces for the Beautiful & Useful Fair 2022 where I’ll be showing my work in September. Definitely included is the Catcastle Vase, hand carved in pale and intriguingly textured natural stone. Each vase in the collection is differently marked with unusual pattern and subtle colouring. The three minimal designs are all […]
My Otter sculpture’s fabulous garden
I’ve just received this stunning image from my customers, showing their Otter sculpture now in place. Otter is beautifully positioned on a stone wall topped with sandstone slabs. The wall incorporates steps leading upward to a central flower bed and planted borders following the arc of a protectively enclosing outer wall. Otter’s gentle curves […]
Easter-time Gorse blooms
The gorse is coming into bloom here on the moor – traditionally it was used as a colourant for painting Easter eggs – though I’ve never tried it. In stopping to admire the flowers I disturbed a Stonechat pair – the male perching high and calling with a sharp loud sound, like two stones […]
A Grand Sculptural Leaf Birdbath
A carved bird is perched on the stalk end of this grand leaf-shaped birdbath. The natural curves, flow and undulations of a fallen leaf make an ideal shape to hold water for garden birds, creating a beautifully decorative as well as functional feature. Watching wildlife enjoy the garden is a great treat and this […]
A Moment to Sit
Recently I received a call from a customer asking if I could make a stone bench to match the ones they already had. It turns out that I made this circular table and curved benches for them some twenty years ago and over that time they’ve been greatly enjoyed for gatherings, outdoor meals, sitting […]
Shrubbery Bird
Birds love shrubs. Here there’s a rather tangly, unmanaged shrub area, but it is always full of birds and insects who seem very happy with my casual gardening style. The woody shrubs and climbers provide food for wildlife, including berries, fruits, seeds, nuts, leaves, and nectar-rich flowers. The shrubbery also provides shelter and breeding […]
Peep Egg
A Peep Egg vase for Easter. I made this vase based on the design of a Victorian optical instrument, which was affectionately known as a Peep Egg. This personal viewer allowed one person to view a still image through a glass lens in the top. More complex versions were equipped with many openings and […]
Big Garden Birdwatch 2021
I’ve been watching the birds all weekend, but actually timed myself for an hour this morning as part of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, after the snow flurry finished, and the sun came out. One of my aims this year was to carve the first bird I saw – spend the day, once the […]
Snowdrops carved in stone
I’m working on Snowdrops, carving them into riven slate – I’m excited that my chisel leaves pale marks, helping to give the impression of white flowers. It seems a marvel that they manage to push their delicate heads above ground in snow, frost, and flood, but they’re especially well adapted to life in the […]
Little Bird with ivy
I’m quite a fan of ivy, I know not everyone’s favourite, but there are so many benefits to wildlife in having thick clumps of it, as ground-cover or clambering its way up walls, buildings or trees, that I allow it pretty much free ramble. The ivy in the garden is providing wonderful, and essential […]